(November 19, 2007) — ONEONTA — Colton Gregg's father, David, has been an assistant coach at Red Creek for years, so in a way Colton has grown up with the school's soccer program.
So what happened Sunday is something the senior has dreamed about for a long time.
Gregg scored the winning goal midway through the second half to lift the Mules to a 3-1 win over Marathon at the National Soccer Hall of Fame, giving Red Creek its second Class C title in three years and fifth in Don Hartley's 40 years as coach.
"I've been imagining this my whole life. It's a gift from God," Colton said amid the celebratory throng of fans from this small school in Wayne County.
Hartley's five titles are behind only Pittsford Mendon's Joe Borrosh, who is retired, and Shenendehowa's Mike Campisi. They have six each. Red Creek's 21 Section V crowns are the most of any area school.
Junior Ryan Fisher's 35-yard free kick 10 minutes in gave Red Creek (18-4-2) the lead but Marathon (18-4-2), a first-time finalist located north of Binghamton in Section IV, tied it on Jason Luce's goal just 49 seconds before halftime. But the Mules didn't let that rattle them.
"We had a sense of urgency again," senior goalie Eric Stevens said.
That pressure paid off with 20 minutes, 27 seconds left to play. Fisher's corner kick started it and right after one Red Creek player whiffed at a 14-yard shot, Gregg one-timed a rocket inside the right post for a 2-1 lead.
"It slipped through a couple of defenders. I turned on it, ripped it and took my chance," said Gregg.
His brother Nathan, a sophomore, has been out the past few weeks with a knee injury. Junior sweeper Anthony Losurdo (broken foot) also was injured recently, which has been somewhat of a theme for Red Creek. It lost three out of five matches during one stretch in September.
But the Mules, who also got solid play from sophomore forward Eli Vitale, led 15-6 in shots on Sunday and got a big insurance goal just 88 seconds after Gregg's go-ahead strike. That's when a wide-open Anthony Roden slotted a 15-yard shot past the Marathon keeper.
"I was here two years ago when we won and had the same breakaway at the same goal and it hit off the keeper's knee and I didn't score," Roden said.
The goal crushed Marathon.
"(They) put their heads down. I figured it was a blow in their side," said Roden, a senior midfielder. "We've come together the past seven games, obviously. It has just been a great team. It's a great way to go out."
JDIVERON@DemocratandChronicle.com